Gaming Guru

Top-10 WSOP quotables

The editorial staff at Casino City has said it before and we'll say it again: We can't get enough Nolan Dalla.

We look forward to the World Series of Poker in large part because we get a big dose of Dalla during the series. So we were a little disappointed when we started reading the World Series of Poker write-ups this year, as the WSOP's Media Director appeared to have been reined in Caesars officials.

In previous years, Dalla's prose typically included gems like this: "On June 26th, 2010, when the local clock ticked to midnight, the shiny glass slipper fit. It fit perfectly. And 'Cinderella' was none other than a long-haired, half-shaven, partially-balding, pork-bellied, man-child named Gavin Smith."

Gone were the 2,500-word epic write-ups, replaced instead with tight 400-word summaries that gave the reader a small window into the personality of the tournament winner.

Make no mistake, these write-ups were well done and better suited to the short attention span of the typical Internet reader. But we missed Dalla's winding storytelling. As a result, we are shifting our normal focus from the top-10 Nolan Dalla quotes from this year's WSOP write-ups to the top-10 quotes from the winners themselves, provided to Dalla in post-tournament interviews.

10. Event #14 Jonathan TaylorWSOP: Is this really your first time in Las Vegas?Taylor: Yes, this is my first time in Las Vegas, but I don't even feel I'm in Las Vegas because I've been going back and forth across the street every day (hotel to the casino), just playing all day, every day.

9. Event #27 Isaac HagerlingWSOP: How are you going to celebrate winning $372,000?Hagerling: Not hookers and blow. That's not my style. Seriously, I'm probably just going to put it in the bank.

8. Event #16 Mark RadojaWSOP: Who was the toughest player you faced in the heads-up format?Radoja: I do not remember his name right now. I was playing early on against a young man who was 24years old from Las Vegas. I can't believe I just said 'young man,' since I'm 27. I think he was my toughest opponent.

7. Event #51 Kristen BicknellWSOP: Talk about the Ladies Championship and the differences you might experience in this tournament as opposed to others.Bicknell: Things got really serious at the final table. Yesterday, everyone was nice . . . but today there was not much talking at the final table. It wasn't like yesterday when everybody was showing pictures and all. Today, everyone had on their game face.

6. Event #40 Jared HambyWSOP: What will the more than half million in prize money do for you at this stage of your career?Hamby: This is huge for me because I have one-hundred percent of me in this tournament. That's something that's rare in tournaments. A lot of guys are backed or on make-up. I get the whole piece of this one. It's a huge score.

5. Event #19 Davadi KitaiWSOP: Are you known back at home in Belgium – known for your poker accomplishments, that is?Kitai: Yes, actually poker became popular the last few years because it is now legal. So, people recognize me. It's mostly guys, though. The girls do not recognize me as much.

4. Event #10 Brent WheelerWSOP: Do you plan to go out tonight and celebrate?Wheeler: No. I got a $1,500 No-Limit tomorrow at noon.

3. Event #37 Michael MooreWSOP: Tell us more about how this moment fits into the context of your poker career, which has lasted more than three decades.Moore: I've got one bracelet. Now, I'm moving on to try and catch Phil (Hellmuth).WSOP: You won $200,000. What are you going to do with that?Moore: Two-hundred thousand – and eleven. And change (laughter). Don't forget the change.

2.Event #7 Matt WaxmanWSOP: What's next after tonight?Waxman: Tonight? I want to get really drunk and go bowling.

Home-game hotshot Aaron Todd was an editor/writer at Casino City for nearly eight years, and is currently the Assistant Director of Athletics for Communications and Marketing at St. Lawrence University, his alma mater. While he is happy to play Texas Hold'em, he'd rather mix it up and play Omaha Hi/Lo, Razz, Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw, and Badugi.

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Aaron Todd

Home-game hotshot Aaron Todd was an editor/writer at Casino City for nearly eight years, and is currently the Assistant Director of Athletics for Communications and Marketing at St. Lawrence University, his alma mater. While he is happy to play Texas Hold'em, he'd rather mix it up and play Omaha Hi/Lo, Razz, Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw, and Badugi.

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